Accidentally In Love
by FaithfullllyFinchel
Summary: Rachel Berry is stuck. She's lived out her Broadway dreams in New York, but as she nears her 30th birthday, she starts to realize something is missing; love. Will she find that special someone out there? Or is he right there next to her without her even realizing it?
1. Semi-Charmed Kind Of Life

**A big hello to everyone who clicked on this story and is giving it a chance. :D This is the first fic I've ever posted so please be kind.**

 **This first chapter is pretty short, but it's basically just setting up Rachel's mindset and what she's thinking right now.**

 **Hope you all enjoy! I also want to dedicate this story to our lovely Canadian drummer Cory Monteith. This one is for you, buddy :)**

 **I don't own Glee btw, and I will never pretend otherwise.**

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She hated weddings.

Like really, really hated them. And not just because she was as single as a dollar bill. But she hated the stigma of being invited to the wedding. If you came with someone, you were fine and dandy. If you came alone, you were just a poor loser who couldn't get a date.

And Rachel Berry fell into the second category. Here she was, at her friends wedding after a year and a half of planning, and she was attending stag. The only reprive being that her other friend Sebastian was also going to stag, so she could helpless cling to him all night and avoid the creepy guys that were asking her to dance.

It was just her luck that only the creepy guys like her friends' coworker Jacob Ben-Israel would ask her dance. No normal guy ever wanted to ask her out. Sebastian once told her it was probably because they were threatened by such an independent woman. (Of course he also said it was because she was high maintenance and super dramatic. She hadn't talked to him for a whole week after that one).

Thankfully, the ceremony was over and all she had to do was sit, tucked in the back of the hall and avoid the advances of her friends' creepy family members. She and Sebastian had been drinking away all night, and she had to admit, it was making her feel a little better. Mostly because she was losing all her inhibitions and therefore the ability to give a shit about being single.

To make matters worse, she and Sebastian were the last two members of their little group that were single. Their friend Tina got married to Mike Chang years ago. Artie Abrams was still going strong with his girlfriend Kitty, and Quinn was with her husband Sam. And Quinn and Sam had been together since college.

Her best friend though, Finn, who couldn't possibly be considered in a relationship since he had a new one almost every week, still saw himself as "totally not single". She tried to calming explain to him that picking up women at bars and screwing them for a week wasn't a relationship. But whatever.

That left her and Sebastian alone since her other best friend Kurt, literally just got married to his longtime boyfriend Blaine, mere hours ago.

It was embarrassing really. She had been, after all, a pretty well known stage actress around New York. And she'd been single for god knows how long. Her last serious boyfriend was Jesse and he publicly dumped her after he got a part in a movie in L.A. He took off and never looked back.

Then her other serious boyfriend, Brody Weston, cheated on her with some floozy he met in the show he was choreography at the time. Suffice to say it hasn't ended pretty. Most of his stuff ended up on the sidewalk after she threw it all out the window in a true dramatic fashion.

That's how quite a lot of her relationships went. They all ended up abandoning her in some or another. It sucked to know that men found her confidence off putting. She certainly wasn't going to dumb herself down to please some asshole.

As for her current predicament, the reception guests had dwindled a bit after Kurt's parents Burt and Carole had left. So Kurt and Blaine were busy living in their own little world at their table, sneaking kisses and snuggles as they watched their party guests and just enjoyed eachothers' company.

She'd managed to sneak in some time with the two groom at the beginning of the reception but now they constantly had people coming up to their table to congratulate them or strike up some conversation about their plans now.

Which is how she ended up here, drunk as all hell and hanging off Sebastian as they danced to the quick beats of some techno song the DJ had on full blast.

She had yet to dance with anyone besides Sebastian and she wanted to keep it that way, she'd rather people think she was Sebastian's beard than some loner who couldn't find anyone to love her.

"Let's take a break! I'm thirsty!" Rachel shouted over the thumping beat, most of the parents and older folks having left a while ago while the younger crowd stayed to party the night away.

Sebastian nodded, pulling her out of the crowd and towards the open bar, where there were a few guys waiting at the counter, ready to serve whoever came by.

"Two vodka cranberries please." Rachel hiccuped as she climbed her way onto the stool and Sebastian leaned against it. There was a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead from dancing and he had his usual unpleasant smirk on his face that Rachel had become acostomed to over the years.

He sometimes acted like an ass and he was a little rude, but that's just how he was and Rachel wasn't going to be picky with her friends when they accepted her and dealt with all her drama crap.

"Hey, did you see that buff guy with the Mohawk talking to Kurt earlier? The one with the super sexy muscles?" Sebastian wiggled his eyebrows as he leaned against the bar of the counter.

Rachel shook her head. "I could barely see three feet ahead of me, let alone all over in the corner of the room. I had way too many tall people all around me. Why? Was he cute or something?" Rachel flicked her hair back, trying to cool her overheated neck.

"Oh absolutely hot. He sort of looked like one of this cocky bastards though. I'm not even sure if you could handle a guy like that, he looked like he'd be all about the sex. And we both know you're not that kind of girl." Sebastian smirked at her. "But it would still be pretty hot for you if you could get him in bed with you."

She crossed her arms over her chest, frowning with a sigh. "I don't think so. If he was that good looking, I'm sure he has a girlfriend. I don't even stand a chance, an upright girl like me. It'll send him running." She snorted.

Sebastian was silent for a moment like he was contemplating her answer.

"We need to do something about this, Rachel." Sebastian sighed, running a hand through his sweaty hair.

Rachel tilted her head to the side in confusion. "About what?"

He snorted. "About our predicament here. We're the only single people left. Sometimes I feel like we're the single people in New York for Christ's sake. I think we need to reinstate sausage Saturday." Sebastian said thoughtfully.

"Oh no. Absolutely not. I will not go to clubs and be groped by creepy biker women or douchebag college boys." Rachel shook her head adamantly, watching Sebastian pout.

Sausage Saturday had been a regular thing before Kurt met Blaine. The three of them would go to different clubs every other weekend (rotating between between regular night clubs and strictly gay clubs and troll for potential guys.

And while Rachel was, as Sebastian called it "strictly dickly", she still went to the gay clubs for moral support and to help weed out the potentially bad guys.

It was actually at high profile gay bar in Long Island where Kurt met Blaine. The latter was working at the bar to try and pay his way through school and while Rachel and Sebastian were fooling around and dancing goofily on the dancefloor, Kurt sat at the bar all night and talked to Blaine.

Then they started going on dates and he hung out with them less and less which caused some drama for a while. And sausage Saturday's had stopped after that because they didn't feel right going without their third musketeer. A duo just didn't seem as fun at the time.

"Cmon Rachel. It worked for Kurt! He met Blaine a year ago and now they're married! Don't you want that? You always talk about how you want to settle down with someone now, have kids. How are you supposed to do that without a man?" Sebastian insisted.

Rachel sighed. She knew he was right she just didn't like the thought of going back out there again. They'd done it for months and she got a total of three dates. All of which went absolutely no where.

But she really did want kids now. She'd now been living her dream of being on Broadway, all that was left was that gaping hole missing from her life; someone to love her.

Sure her dads and Kurt (and Sebastian even if he wouldn't admit it) all loved her dearly. And she wasn't the kind of woman who needed a man to make her happy. Because she was happy, very happy with how her life had turned out. But sometimes she just longed for someone special to hold her, to keep her bed warm at night and love her the way a woman should be loved.

With those thoughts in her head, she relented to Sebastian's pleading. "Alright. We can start doing our sausage Saturday's again. On one condition." She pointed her finger sternly at him as he put his hands up in mock defeat and nodded.

"We don't go to those trashy clubs where all anyone does is grind eachother and have sex in the bathroom stalls. If we're serious about this, we need to go someone to find quality men. Not men that just want to bang us is the bathroom and then leave."

Sebastian snorted as he nodded to the bartender and brought his vodka up to his lips. "Deal. But you have to promise to keep an open mind. Half the reason you didn't get many dates back then was because you were so damn picky about who to talk to."

She smacked his arm. "I resent that. I was merely trying to be self-sufficient and not waste my time on men that I had no interest in. Or waste their time for that matter." She picked up her own and scrunched her nose up a little at the strong taste. She usually had vodka cranberries, but the bitter taste of the alcohol still surprised her taste buds everytime.

"Rachel, sometimes you'd just look at them and say no. That's kind of harsh to judge someone based on their looks." He pointed out, smirking as she blew out her nose haughtily.

"You're making me sound like some shallow witch. Just because I don't like they way dress, doesn't mean I think they're ugly or something. It just means they're not my type." She glared at him.

"Alright, alright fine. But you've agreed now, you can't take it back. So don't try to back out of it next week." Sebastian quickly downed his drink and shuddered, shaking his head as the alcohol coursed through both of their veins.

"Scouts honour." She crossed her fingers and slammed her drink down on the counter. "Now let's go back out there and dance. I think the DJ's getting ready to pack up and I really want to get one more dance in." Rachel grabbed his hand and lugged him to the dancefloor where they bobbed their heads and jumped around in place to the music for a few more minutes.

As the song came to an end, Rachel noticed Kurt and Blaine make they're way to the stage where the microphone was still standing.

Blaine leaned over and tapped the mic, making sure it was on. "Hey everyone! I know you want to get back to dancing but we have something else to say. Now we hope you're all having a great time," He began, his words met with loud cheers and whoops, "But it's about time to wrap up this party because they need to clean up and stuff for another event tomorrow at this venue."

Kurt moved forward to add on something while Blaine stepped back a bit, their hands tightly intertwined at their sides.

"But we really, really want to thank you all for coming and for making this night so very special for us. It means the world that all you came out to support us and we love that you all had such a good time. We love every single one of you." Kurt smiled over at Blaine in adoration.

Blaine grinned back, pulling Kurt's hand up to his lips and kissing it softly. "Thanks for coming everyone! Don't forget to pick up your wedding favours on the way out, take one each. Have a great night!" Blaine called into the mic as the crowd cheered and clapped for the newlyweds and the pair themselves stepped down from the stage.

"Right, I bet they just want to go home and fuck. It has nothing to do with the crew needing to cleanup." Sebastian smirked as the crowd started clearing the floor and everyone moved to grab their coats and favours and head to their cars.

Rachel sighed. "I wish I had someone to go home to." Sebastian shrugged as they picked up their personalized namecards from their table and followed the large half crowd out the double doors.

"You'll find someone. I've made it my new mission to not only get us laid, but get us into relationships. We owe to ourselves to try hard for this. Aside from the occasion one-night stand, I haven't gotten an action lately and it's driving me nuts." He assured her, letting her hook her arm through his as they headed out to her car (Sebastian hated driving almost more than he hated public buses).

Rachel nodded but felt doubtful. She yet to find someone she could even see a glimpse of a future with. What made Sebastian think this time would be any different?

He yawned and unhooked their arms as they got to her little blue Prius. "What time are they leaving tomorrow? I hope to god it's not early because I'm feeling super tired."

They slid into their seats and got buckled before Rachel answered. "Their flight leaves at ten. So they want us their to see them off at nine-ish so they have time to go through security check and that fun stuff."

Tomorrow would mark the day Kurt and Blaine left for their honeymoon in Fiji, and they had asked them, and Blaine's best friend Sam to see them off. She was assuming Sam wife Quinn would be coming too but she wasn't sure.

"Oh thank god." Sebastain cuddled into the window.

It was a few minutes of silence in the car until Rachel spoke again. "Hey Sebastian?" She questioned before he could fully pass out on her and fall asleep.

"Hmm?" He mumbled, his face pressed against the cool window that was fogging up because of his warm breath blowing on it.

"Thanks for being my unofficial date to the wedding. I'm really glad I have someone who knows what it feels like to be single amongst of group of friends that all have someone special in their life." Rachel bit her lip.

She knew he was that fond of getting emotional or talking about feelings, but she just really needed to say it. It made things feel a lot less lonely and depressing when she remembered she always had Sebastian to lean on.

"It's no problem Rachel. You do the same thing for me. Us single bitches got to stick together." Sebastain chuckled, peeking at her with one eye as she giggled.

"Indeed we do, Sebastian. Indeed we do."

She'd just pulled out of her parking spot when Sebastian screeched for her to stop, making her panic and slam on the brake which sent them both jolting forward. Thankful she was one of the drivers that didn't buckle as they drove, she whipped her head over to look at Sebastian.

"What the hell was that for? You trying to make me crash?" Rachel snapped. Sebastian just pointed behind her towards her window.

"You almost rammed into that idiot."

Rachel turned around in confusion, only to be met with dorky, smirking face of none other than Finn Hudson.

She rolled down her window and glared at him. "So did you want to be roadkill tonight? Because if Sebastian hadn't seen you, I probably would have slammed into you."

Finn chuckled and reached into her car to pinch her cheek teasingly. "Maybe you should learn to look behind you before you start pulling out like a maniac, babyface Berry."

Rachel huffed. "I did. Then you ran right behind my car dumbass." Rachel retorted back, slapping his hand away.

He shrugged. "I need a ride back to our place." He tried opening the backseat door of her car to no avail since she'd habitually locked when she got into the car.

She smirked at him this time. "Why can't Leslie drive you? I thought you two were 'going strong' as you so adequately put it last time you mentioned her."

"Yeahhhh that's over." He smirked cockily. "We sorta banged in the coat room and then I broke up with her." Finn shrugged.

Sebastian cackled as Rachel shook her head. "You're such an ass, Finn. At a wedding? What did that poor girl ever do to you?" Rachel asked while Sebastian kept laughing.

"Seriously dude, that's cold even for you." Sebastian wiped his eyes, and peered over at him from the other side of Rachel.

"She said she loved me." Finn shuddered. "Now let me in, Rach." He begged, shivering as a cold breeze swept over them.

She sighed dramatically. "Alight fine. Since you're begging." She flicked the unlock button and rolled up her window as they waited for him to get in the car.

When the slamming of the door could be heard, she started pulling out again, carefully watching behind her as to not accidentally almost hit anymore else.

"So tell us, why is it so bad that she admitted her love for you." Rachel started, glancing at him through her rear view mirror.

Finn looked at her incredulously, like she should already know the answer. "Dude, we've been dating like, two weeks. No way in hell someone could possibly love another person that fast. She gotta be a little nutso in the head. Plus you know I don't do that love crap."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Well aren't you just a catch. I'm surprised you haven't slept with every woman in Seattle by now."

Finn just snorted. "You're just jealous that I have so many women coming at me while you're still watching the bachelorette on Saturday nights." He teased.

She knew he was joking, but she couldn't help the twinge of hurt his words caused. He didn't mean anything by it so she shook her head to rid herself of her self hatred thoughts.

They loved teasing eachother and had loved it since they were in elementary school. Back when they both lived in Oregon with their parents.

And now, twenty years later, they'd followed eachother to the other side of the country and back, stuck together like they never had with anyone in their lives.

When they graduated, he followed her to New York while she attended Juliard and then did some Broadway. First she did some off Broadway for a couple years and then had her chance to do a few real Broadway shows. She'd even gotten the Tony Award she'd been wanting so bad her entire life. And Finn and her dads had been there to cheer her on.

Finn went to NYU and got his general studies degree, which gave way to a bachelors in business tech which he then used to get a solid job at Apple Inc.

They'd been super happy living in their little two bedroom apartment together, following their dreams and dating as they pleased.

After ten years of being on the stage, Rachel decided to branch out and leave the stage. She was getting tired and didn't want to hurt herself from overworking her body. Not to mention the last show she ever did was Wicked and she'd played Elphaba, her dream role. She achieved all her Broadway dreams and was ready to start something new.

So when Finn got a job offer at Microsoft in Seattle, he took it and they moved together to Seattle so he could work at a company that would pay him even more than Apple did.

Which was how they ended up here and where they'd met Sebastian who was an EMT and still trying to pay his way through Med school.

"Shut up, jerk face." Rachel stopped at a light and reached back to slap his leg amidst his laughter.

Finn struggled to get away from her surprisingly thought hits. "Damn your tiny ass car." A couple more chuckles left his lips when she pulled her hand back as the light turned green again and she continued her drive to Sebastian's place.

She turned on some music then to drone out the silence, the soft tone of a new One Direction song playing through her speakers.

"Oh god, not this crap. Change it Rach." Finn grumbled from the backseat. It was a well known fact he pretty much hated all new music, only being a fan of a select few artists of this age.

It was pretty hard to pick a song when it was just them in the car, with them having completely opposite taste in music. It was really a wonder why they were inseparable when they were opposites in almost every way possible.

"No, I love this song. This is off their new album." Sebastian piped up from his spot where he'd been relatively quiet the whole time, watching them bicker like siblings.

Finn groaned, once again subjected to pop music and being outnumbered as usual.

They pulled up to Sebastian apartment building a few minutes later, waving goodbye and promising to text each other later.

When he slammed the door shut, Finn shuffled in the back and she craned her to neck to see what he was doing, coming face to face with his dark head of hair and then his butt as he crawled into the passenger seat, making her giggle.

"You could have just used the door you know. That's how a car works, the doors open." Rachel told him sarcastically as he buckled his seat.

He shrugged and leaned back as best as he could in her little car. It really was much too small for him, it was kind of adorable how gigantic he looked.

She yawned as she pulled back into the fairly quiet streets to take them back to their shared three bedroom apartment on the water. The rooms weren't huge, but it was a really nice place thanks to their combined rent payments.

"Tired?" He asked, he gazing at her with his head facing her. He leaned back so his head was against the rest and smiled as she nodded.

"Exhausted. But it was a great day. I got to watch one of my best friends get married to the man he loves. What could be a better way to spend my weekend?" Rachel smiled back.

To anyone else, her statement would seem very genuine, but Finn could sense a little bitterness and sadness in her tone. And she knew that.

"What's bothering you then? You looked sad all night." Finn prodded, reaching out to finger a piece of stray hair that had fallen from her otherwise tight knit bun.

"Were you watching me all night? Stalker." Rachel tried to play off her sadness. She knew it didn't work when Finn snorted.

Finn sighed when she was silent, refusing to even glance his way. "You think I can't tell when my best friend is sad? We've been friends for as long as I can remember. You can tell me."

Rachel shook her head, her eyes sticking to the road. "I don't want to talk about it, okay? Let's just get home so I can go to sleep. I have four lessons lined up tomorrow."

Finn nodded silently. "Okay. I won't push it anymore. You'll tell me later though, right? I hate seeing you so sad." Finn sighed as she swerved into their apartments' parking garage and made her way down to their designated spot, his big red truck in the spit right next to hers.

She shut off the ignition and got out the car, still not answering him.

"Rachel." He tried again, hopping out of the car and jogging over to her. She locked her and headed to the little room surrounded by windows where the entrance to their building was.

This time he ran ahead of her and grabbed her wrist, the simple touch making her huff. "What do you want?" She snapped. "I said I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine, I get that. But why are you acting so angry? Are you mad at me?" Finn slid his hands up her arms comfortingly. Her stomach curled at his sweet touch.

He was literally the only person she could never stay mad at. The one person who could always make her feel safe and be honest with.

"No I'm not mad at you, Finn. I'm just frustrated with everything right now. It has nothing to do with you." Rachel reached up and curled her fingers around the lapels of his suit jacket, leaning into his embrace.

He smiled affectionately and pulled her into his arms to hug her. "Good. Then tell me what's eatin you?" He bumped her cheek with his nose, making her giggle.

She sighed the kind of sigh that usually told the other person they were about to talk. "Let's go upstairs first. I want to get out of this damn dress and get some ice cream in me."

Finn laughed and pulled away, squeezing her hand as he grabbed it and led her up to the seventh floor where their apartment resided.

She allowed him to unlock it and shut the door behind them. "Go get your pjs on. I'll get the ice cream. Cheesecake sound good?" He started towards the kitchen as she stood in the middle of the living near the hallway.

She smiled at him, he really did know her too well. "Sounds good. I'll be right out." He nodded and she quickly ripped the dress off her. She now had another bridesmade dress to add to her collection and she couldn't decide if it made her sad or empty. Or maybe both.

When she was dressed in her cupcake pyjamas, her hair in a messy ponytail, and her face clean of all makeup, she made her way back out to Finn. She smiled at the sight of him already sitting on the couch with a carton of ice cream and two spoons, dressed in a gray sleeveless t-shirt and his blue pyjama pants.

"Cmon. There's a house hunters marathon on. I know how much you love this show." He held up the carton enticingly. "But first you need to tell what's wrong. That's the ticket to a late night full of ice cream, tv, and your snugly best friend."

Rachel giggled and slipped onto the couch next to him, nodding. "I know. I promised I'd tell you."

"I'm waiting." Finn chuckled, poking her side as he placed the carton and remote on the coffee table in front of them.

She breathed put heavily. "I guess I'm just feeling a little stuck. Career wise, I've been really lucky and successful. I mean, who gets to achieve their dreams before the even turn thirty? I got the Tony I've always dreamed of and dozens of other small awards. All for my talent as a singer and actress."

"So what's wrong?" Finn reached over and grabbed her hand to interlace their fingers and squeeze them.

"It's the other part of my life that's taken a backseat. I was so focused on my career I ended up neglecting my social life." She laughed humourlessly. "Now I'm almost thirty and I haven't got a boyfriend or anything close to one. I'm alone." He opened his mouth to protest but she placed a finger over his lips. "I mean in the relationship sense. I know I have you and I'm forever grateful for you. I just want that special someone. That person who tells you they love you, who actually means it and isn't just trying to get into my pants."

Finn smiled his lopsided smile, the one she was sure made all the ladies drop their panties immediately. She had been on the receiving end of that dimpled smile on many occasions and it always got him what he wanted. Much to Rachel's chargin.

He tilted her chin and sighed. "I feel it too. That feeling of time creeping up on you. But you have time Rachel. You're still really young and you're beautiful and I bet you as soon as you go out there to try and find someone, there'll be guys forming a line. And not just to get into your pants, but to romance you. That's just an inevitability for you Rach. Because everyone gets a chance at love. You just have to be patient. Maybe the gods of love up there figure we have to work hard first. And you have, so your time is coming. You what to know how I know that?"

"How?" She snuggled up into his side, hanging on to his every word.

"I know because _I_ love you." He said it like it was the easiest thing in the world. He'd said it a million times, but this time it had special meaning behind it. "And you know I don't throw around the word often. I know how special you are, I know how easy it is to love you, it's only a matter of time."

Rachel felt tears glimmer in her eyes as he spoke, burying her face in his chest. "I love you too, Finn. Thank you. Thank you so much." She didn't know what else to say. His words made her feel so much better, so happy to know that someone thought so highly of her.

"Don't thank me Rach. You're my best friend, remember?" Finn pulled her head away from his chest and kissed her forehead.

She closed her eyes and snuggled back into his chest. "Where would I be without you, Finn Hudson?"

"Does that mean you feel better?" Finn asked hopefully.

She giggled again. "Much better. You know, for a guy who got a C+ in English junior year, you're pretty good with words."

"Well, I did get my grade up to a B by senior year." He rubbed her back. "Now, what do you say we drown out our single sorrows with some ice cream and house hunters?"

She grabbed the spoon he was holding out, dipping it into the ice cream. "You read my mind."

Armed with her best friend, she really did feel better. He was a good pep talker, and one look into those puppy eyes and she'd believe anything that came out of his mouth.

A new sense of hope bloomed in her chest as they watched tv. There must be someone out there for her, Finn was right. She just had to patient and wait for her time to come, wait for her chance at love.

Little did she know, that chance was sitting right next to her.

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 **So there's a glimpse into Finchel's strangely romantic friendship and how Rachel is feeling right now. More Finchel goodness to come soon!**

 **Review if you want more! If I can get 5 or more reviews, I'll post the next chapter ASAP! :P And the chapters will progressively get longer. :) This is just the starter.**


	2. Can't Help Losing Myself

**15 reviews for one chapter? That's freakin crazy, you guys are amazing! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint now haha.**

 **Title from the last chapter he from Semi-Charmed Life by _Third Eye Blind_ , and this chapters' title is from Losing Myself by _Plain White T's_. :D**

 **But seriously, I can't thank you all enough for supporting this story. :) Enjoy the newest chapter!**

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Finn opened his eyes groggily, the sound of U2's _I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For_ hitting his ears and putting him on alert.

He lifted himself so suddenly he almost dumped poor Rachel on the floor, who was cuddled into his chest. He looked around and remembered they'd fallen asleep on the couch watching tv last night.

Looking down at the now slowly rousing Rachel, he let a chuckle escape his lips when he saw the few drops of drool in the corner of her mouth.

She scrunched up her eyebrows after a moment and mumbled sleepily, "Finnnnn. Turn off your alarm, I'm trying to sleep." He rolled his eyes but kept her to his chest as he reached over to the best of his abilities and clicked the snooze button.

He glanced at the clock as Rachel sighed happily and presumably tried to get back to sleep. "Uh, Rach? It's almost eight." He said nervously, recalling that they had to meet his brother and Blaine at the airport to see them off.

"What?!" Rachel jumped up off his chest with surprising speed and squinted at the clock. "We have to be at the port in an hour! Shoot! Hurry up and get dressed Finn. Traffic will be murder at this time, we have to hurry." She then sprinted off to her room amidst Finn's laughter, shutting her bedroom door behind her.

He ran a hand over his face and stifled a large yawn. They didn't fall asleep until at least three am, so he was going to have to survive off about five hours asleep today, something he hadn't done since college. With his jobs at Apple and Microsoft, he'd been quite pampered really, and they were pretty lax about letting him come in later than nine or ten so he'd have plenty of time to sleep.

He looked around the room sleepily for a moment before pushing himself off the couch, wincing as he picked up the ice cream carton and saw the large ring of water on the nice clean surface of their coffee table. Rachel was going to freak when she saw that. She was an avid user of coasters and trays and anything that kept her perfect furniture from getting ruined.

Then he remembered why they had the ice cream and their little snuggle party last night. Rachel was going through a mid-mid-life crisis. Something that everyone went through when they turned thirty.

He remained sure of the fact that she was just being dramatic. She was amazing and there was no way any guy wouldn't want her if they just got to know her. Then they could love her like he did.

And like he said, he didn't throw around the word "love" very often, but Rachel was the one exception to his rule. She'd been by his side through thick and thin and always understood how he felt even when he didn't even know.

And he fully realized how weird their friendship might have seemed to some people. They were way closer and way more comfortable around each other than most friends should be. But that wasn't about to change no matter how much his potential girlfriends wished it could.

Which brought him back to his nasty breakup last night with... Whatever her name was. No, she hadn't spewed the "L" word to him but she did something even worse.

She wanted him to move out of this place and stop hanging around Rachel so much. He'd almost laughed in her face, but ended up taking a more irritated approach.

 _Finn and Leslie had been going pretty strong all night, eating and dancing s they pleased, and she was thrilled that he invited her to his brothers' wedding. It seemed like she was happy and enjoying herself._

 _Which was why he was super confused when she dragged him from his comfy spot at his table next to Mike and Tina, to the stuffy and cramped closet in the lobby hallway next to the bathroom._

 _"What's this about, Leslie? They're almost ready to serve the rest of the desserts." Finn sighed as he stood in the coat room with his then-girlfriend._

 _She laid her hands across his chest, playing with his suit jacket. "I just really needed to talk to you. Being here, being around all this love has really got me thinking about everything."_

 _Finn gulped a little, he didn't like where this was going at all. She was going down a route he was sure would end in a breakup. But he waited a moment, wanting to hear her out first._

 _"So? What did you conclude?" Finn shifted back a little and leaned against the opposite wall, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his suit pants._

 _"I want us to be serious, Finn. I want to be your official girlfriend and I want to know that we have a future. If your words are anything to go by, I'm the longest girlfriend you've had in a longtime. And I know three weeks and a day isn't that much, but for someone like you, someone who's had lots of commitment issues in the past, I think it really says something about us." Leslie explained, reaching for his hands and taking them in hers._

 _She was right about that, she was the longest girlfriend he'd had in almost a year, most of his 'relationships' lasting only a few days or a week maybe. If you could even call those relationships._

 _But he knew he didn't want something like that right now. They were clearly in different places in their lives right now._

 _"Before you say anything, I just want you to know how much you mean to me. I've never fallen for a guy this fast before. You mean the world to me." She interrupted his thought process before he could even formulate a response._

 _Well, crap. How the hell was he supposed to turn her down now? He'd just look like a complete and utter asshole if he broke up with her after that declaration. But her words were making him even surer that he wanted this relationship to end, he just didn't know how to tell her._

 _"Look, Leslie," Finn began, carefully letting go of her hands as her face fell at his tone. "I think it's really great that I've meant so much to you, really I do. And you've meant something to me too. But I'm just not at that point in my life where I'm looking for something serious. I think that's why we were working so well. But now..." Finn trailed off, gesturing to the open air._

 _Her eyes filled with tears. "But you've been so happy. And so willing to do couply things with me. What happened? What can I do to make it better?" She asked desperately._

 _Finn shook his head defiantly. "Nothing, Leslie. I'm so sorry but I think it's best that we end this relationship. Before you get even more involved and you get really hurt. I'm not ready for anything, you have to understand that." Finn ran a hand through his hair._

 _She dropped her head, tears falling. "Is it about **her**?" She spat out the pronoun like it burned her tongue._

 _Finn was confused though. Who was she referring to exactly? He may have been a douche when it came to women and feelings sometimes, but he wasn't a cheater. Did she think he was having an affair with someone?_

 _"Who are you talking about Leslie?" Finn scrunched up his eyebrows with a frown, truly unsure of who she was talking about._

 _She scoffed through her tears, looking pissed and bitter. "Oh please, don't act all dumb. You know exactly who I'm talking about. Your big nosed little friend. The one you can't seem to fucking detach yourself from." She sneered._

 _Big nosed little friend... Wait, was she taking about Rachel? As in his best friend, the one who meant the world to him? Surely she couldn't be talking so crudely about his best friend. How can you claim to care so much about someone and then insult their friend like that?_

 _"Are you talking about Rachel?" Finn hissed lowly, his ire rising every second. Insult him all you want, but insult Rachel and he'd going fucking ape-shit on you. He didn't even care how hurt she was, she shouldn't be bringing Rachel into this._

 _She rolled her eyes, her blue iris' swollen and red from her tears. "What ever gave you that idea." She spit sarcastically. "You've only been staring at her the whole time you've been here, don't think I haven't noticed. I guess I was just trying to convince myself that you cared about me more."_

 _Finn stared at her dumbfounded. "Let me get this straight. You actually think I've been, what? Cheating on you with my best friend?"_

 _That had to be the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. They'd crossed that bridge a long, long time ago and had decided to remain friends. And yeah, they'd been eachothers' first kiss but that didn't mean he had any lingering romantic feelings for her._

 _Now that he thought back, yeah he had been watching her all night, but not because he was like, infatuated with her. He just noticed all the gross, creepy guys that had been hitting on her and trying to get her to dance with them. It took all he had not to pull her away and tell them to back the fuck off. She clearly wasn't interested._

 _But that wasn't anything romantic was it? He was just being the usual overprotect best friend that didn't want to see her get hurt or see her uncomfortable._

 _"Well it would make sense. Nobody acts that way with their best friend. How stupid do you think I am that I don't know?" She snapped._

 _Finn shook his head, at a loss for words. "I seriously have no fucking clue what you're talking about. I'm not sleeping with my best friend."_

 _"Oh no? So I guess everyone snuggles with the best friend, kisses them on the forehead, shares an apartment, probably sees them naked then? Oh and not to mention she's the only one you'll say the word 'love' to." Leslie shoved at his chest, making him stumble into the wall._

 _Finn sputtered and stood up straight, his eyes ablaze. "First off all, don't ever touch me again. Second of all, we're like that because we've been the only consistent person in each others' lives for more than twenty years now. We've had to be that close because we haven't had anyone else." He snarled, his voice low and extremely annoyed._

 _She laughed humourlessly. "Wow. You're incredibly naive. Guess you don't know how you feel either."_

 _"I know exactly how I feel, thank you very much. How long have you felt like this? Or is this just coming out now because you're pissed I don't want a relationship with you?" Finn sneered in her direction._

 _He knew was acting a little childish, but hearing her accuse him of not only cheating, but of being in love with Rachel set his insides on fire. Rachel was the only person in his life that really mattered, and the thought of somehow screwing that up? Well, it made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't handle a life without Rachel Berry, that world would just intolerable._

 _"It doesn't matter. I started noticing it the morning I stayed over and met her for the first time. For fucksake, she even crashed our date that one evening because you invited her out with us!" She exclaimed exasperatedly._

 _"She was sad and lonely! What was a supposed to do? That's what best friends do! They make each other feel better!" Finn shouted, glaring down at someone he once thought was really great, but now just seemed like a paranoid bitch who couldn't handle his closeness to someone else._

 _Leslie reached for the door handle, ready to make a dramatic exit, but turned her head last minute to speak. "You never going to find someone, you know. No one is going to be okay with your 'friendship' or whatever the fuck you call it. You're going to end up alone because of that little bitch. Your best shot at happiness is to break off ties with her and move out, never see again. Then and only then will someone love you." She said quietly, like she was trying to convince him one last time to take a chance on her._

 _But Finn stood his ground, glaring at her. "I think I'll take my chances. I'd rather be alone for the rest of my life than give up Rachel for snobby people like you who can't accept a close friendship. Now get the fuck out of here and don't show your face around here again. You insult Rachel again and maybe next time I won't be so courteous." Finn growled, stepping forward to glare angrily into her face._

 _She gulped and wretched the door open, slamming it shut with such force that it shook the walls and knocked down a couple of cleaning supplies from the shelves behind him. There was an eerie silence in her wake that was only broken by the DJ playing another song out on the dancefloor._

 _He had to calm himself down before he went back out there though. He was still so pissed. How dare she insult Rachel and actually have the audacity to suggest that he cut ties with Rachel and ever see her again, if he wanted to find love._

 _That was bullshit. Because he was under the firm believe that when he found the right person, they'd have no problem with any of friendships. And it was that thought that finally calmed him down and made him okay to go back out and enjoy the rest of the party, even if he had just gone through a crappy breakup._

Finn sighed and stood up from the sofa, more than ready to put Leslie behind him and just focus on his future now. He's didn't need people like her slowing him down anyways.

All he needed was his job, his confidence, and Rachel and he was a happy camper.

So he quickly got dressed and checked his watch, seeing it was half past eight. They really needed to get to the airport soon or Kurt was going to have a freakin fit.

Knocking on the bathroom door lightly, leaning in to speak in the crack of the door. "Hey Rach, we've got to get going. It's already half past eight."

He didn't hear anything for a moment, then she pulled open the door quickly, looking frazzled. "Come on then. Kurts going to pop a vein if they have to wait for us." Rachel pulled him by the arm out the door, him grabbing his keys mere seconds before she shut the door.

"Hey hey slow down speedy." Finn chuckled as she all but pulled him down the stairs by herself. "We have at least forty minutes and we live maybe twenty minutes away. There are benefits to living this deep in the city." Finn smiled as she slowed down and looked up at him, nodding silently.

"You okay?" He asked her softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

She nodded, forcing a smile up at him. "I'm okay, Finn. I promise." She leaned her head against him as they walked down to his truck.

"Is this about what was wrong last night?" Finn asked, unlocking the car door and helping her in. She always was to short to get in by herself, or without straining something. So he figured he'd just make it easy on her and help her in.

"Sort of. I know what you told me last night was all true. But then Sebastian texted me this morning and asked if I wanted to go out tonight. I don't know, it just made me really nervous. Finding a guy didn't work last time for me, there obviously has to be something wrong with me."

He tugged himself up into the car and reached across the middle console to squeeze her hand. "You have to stop thinking so little of yourself Rach. You're a Broadway star, a Tony winner, you're a catch and any guy would be lucky to have you. Hell, they'd have to be really freakin stupid not to like you. But _you_ have to be open to them. I know last time you were really picky about the guys you accepted phone numbers from."

Rachel nodded. "I just don't see the point in wasting their time. If I don't see anything, why should I accept their numbers and waste my own time as well?" She released his hand to let him start the car.

He turned to look behind him and pulled out of the parking garage. "I know there are going to be a lot of creeps, which is why I hate when you go out to clubs. But I also know that you can defend yourself and you know full well when there's someone who is really creepy. So you can differentiate the creeps from the guys that are just a little nervous and weird. Maybe if you give those weirder guys a chance, you'll see that maybe one of them is really cool." Finn shrugged, turning the car into the light traffic going on right now.

Rachel laid her head back against the seat, scratching her cheek. "I guess you're right. Sometimes I don't even know if it's worth it though. Finding someone to love me shouldn't be this hard."

"Are you saying you don't want a boyfriend? What do you want then?" Finn asked incredulously.

She shrugged her shoulders this time. "I don't know, maybe. It just seems like it would've happened by now if it were really meant to be. I think I just want a kid now. Maybe I could try a sperm donor. That way I wouldn't have to spend my time looking for a boyfriend, going through all that crap of dating and getting to know eachother, and then waiting for him to propose to me. I don't want to be fifty years old when my kid is five."

"Rach, you're not even thirty yet and you're acting like your life is coming close to its end. You have time to do all that dating crap. You have to be patient." Finn told her.

He couldn't understand why she was so hellbent on not finding a guy now. For how long had she been waiting for Mr. Right? Pretty much since high school where she dated some tool from the swim team that basically just used her as a personal assistant. But she was so blinded by affection for him that she didn't care.

And while he didn't want that complacent do-whatever-the-dude-wants Rachel, he did miss that Rachel that believed in love and believed that every guy stood a chance at love with her.

"It doesn't matter. I expected to have a guy in my life right now, but I'm not even close. Who knows how long it will take me. There's nothing you can to change my mind Finn. I'm going to this club tonight for Sebastian, and then I'm going to get an appointment. I have the money, so I'm going to pick a sperm donor." Rachel said defiantly, sticking her nose up in the air which Finn knew from experience meant she was sticking to her word.

Finn, meanwhile, was at a loss. Here was Rachel, his Rachel, giving up on a finding a mate. All because it was taking too long for her liking. He didn't understand what changed. Last night she seemed really open to going back out there and today she was saying she was done.

He knew she had gotten inside her own head. Probably talked herself out of everything while she was showering. She always did stuff like that, talked herself out of doing things by playing the devils advocate and only thinking of the bad in the situation.

"Look Finn. I can sense you're about to say something to try and talk me out of it. I don't want you to go to the trouble okay? I've made up my mind and I've been thinking about it since after we talked last night. Right now, I want to focus on having a child. I think that'll be the last missing piece I need in my life." Rachel interrupted his thoughts.

Finn rubbed his chiseled face, having forgone shaving this morning. "I don't agree with this Rachel, I think you're going to regret this later. But I'm going to support you on this only because you're my best friend. Just realize that I won't stop trying to convince you otherwise."

Rachel nodded. "I figured you'd say something like that. But if you could, wait until tomorrow. I just need to stop thinking about this right now. Today, my focus is on seeing Kurt and Blaine off, the going to work later. Okay?" Rachel leaned against the window dejectedly.

Finn didn't know what to say. Part of him was annoyed that she was so damn stubborn and had a nasty habit of sabotaging herself. The other part of him was sad that she felt like her time was running out and she didn't need love. He may not have been ready for commitment, but he knew she was. She was a relationship girl.

"Fine, deal. What time is your first lesson?" Finn asked, trying to change the subject from something a little depressing.

"One o'clock." Rachel looked grateful for the change of topic. "Marley is first and then Ryder is at two-thirty, followed by Jake at five."

Finn grinned to himself as she talked about her students with such pride. She worked at this really popular music store in town where she taught singing lessons to a lot of choir kids at the local high school.

Marley especially was her favourite because the young girl idolized her so much. Marley came from a smaller town in Washington, much like Rachel came from a small Oregon town. But Marley really looked up to Rachel and it gave his friend a sense of pride that her accomplishments as a performer on Broadway inspired young girls.

Her other favourites were Ryder and Jake who were sweet, respectful, and hardworking. For young teens it was quite a feat that they were so responsible. She also taught a girl named Kitty, who was a little sarcastic and snippy.

"And how are they? I know last week you said Jake was having some problems with his range." Finn swerved into the semi-packed parking lot and found an empty spot.

"He's been doing much better. He does strained as much and his breathing is less spastic." Rachel smiled proudly, unbuckling her seat and hopping out of the car.

Finn grinned back and stepped out of the car, going around to back to meet her. "All due to your excellent teaching, I'm sure." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her into the packed airport, scouting for his brother.

"Yeah I guess." She shrugged modestly.

"Hey, you're an incredible singer, Rach. Those kids are super lucky to have you as their teacher." Rachel blushed and dipped her head.

"You think so?"

He grinned down at her affectionately. "I know so. You're going to be okay Rachel. That much I can promise you." Finn kissed the top of her head, not a new action between the pair.

To anyone else they'd look like a couple, but to them, they were just that close as friends. They'd gotten way past the point where this sort of affection weirded them out.

"Thanks for supporting me Finn." Rachel leaned into him as they continued trekking through the airport, taking their time in finding their friends.

Rachel figured she'd worry about everything later. Right now her focus was her other best friend and seeing them off.

* * *

Rachel was having a terrible time.

She and Sebastian had been at the club for almost an hour and she'd gotten no numbers and no one had come up to offer her a drink or ask her to dance. The evening was a total dud and only solidified her early thoughts about giving up on finding a guy altogether.

Sebastian was a having a good time, having gotten three numbers already. He was currently dance away with some snobby looking rich dude, while Rachel sat at the bar and nursed a martini.

"You want another?" The man asked as he wiped down the bar with a washcloth.

"Sure. Not like anyone else is going to come over here and offer me a drink." Rachel replied solemnly, resting her cheek on her hand leaning on the bar.

The man chuckled, mixing the drink and placing the olive in it with a practiced expertise. "You having that bad of night? Maybe if you'd quit sulking over here by the bar, you would seem more approachable."

Rachel snapped her head his way and glared. "Excuse me, I would appreciate it if you'd mind your own business. You have no idea what I'm going through right now." Rachel looked at him over her nose, glancing over at him as he put his hands up.

"Sorry, princess. It just seems to me that if you really wanted to meet someone you'd get off your dead ass instead of sitting here and looking like your puppy just crapped all over your brand new princess slippers." The man smirked as he serviced another customer at the counter adjacent to hers.

Her mouth dropped open at both his crudeness and his invasion into her business. What did he even know about her? That's right, nothing. And he was standing there judging her and the way she was handling things.

Besides, she was not going to sit here and be judged by someone with a haircut as ridiculous as _that_. It looked like he had a damn squirrel on his head. He shouldn't be judging anyone.

"Who do you think you are? Talking to me like that." Rachel snapped, downing her drink in one gulp. "Besides, clearly you need to take your own advice. You're stuck serving drinks to drunk ass college kids and single people. Not to mention your haircut is ridiculous."

The man just laughed, accepting a tip from the guy next to her and coming back over to her little corner, where he leaned against in, reeking of cologne.

"I own this bar. So I'd hardly say I'm doing poorly for myself. And as for the hair, it's a total lady-killer. Gets all the chicks I want into my bed, they love tuggin on this bad boy." He smirked.

Rachel blushed at her inaccurate assumption. "Oh. Sorry then." She wasn't really that sorry but she didn't want to look like a total bitch.

He waved her off like her apology didn't matter, making her huff. "I don't care about apologies. But do you want my honest, cleanly-worded advice?"

"Are you capable of such a thing?" Rachel asked, crossing her arms against her chest. She didn't know this man very well, but she could get a feel for what he was like. And she was pretty sure he was always this lewd and sex-focused.

"Stop moping around, no guy is going to be attract to some weepy looking chick who is just sitting at the bar alone. Go out there and meet someone." He told her simply.

Rachel leaned in too, speaking mock-seriously. "How do you even know I'm looking for a guy, ..." Rachel paused, waiting for him to input his name.

He clearly caught on because he answered, "Noah Puckerman, but call me Puck because everyone else does. And as for how I know? Why else would you be here with your friend if you aren't looking to find a guy or at least score? That's the only reason people come in here. Unless some dude already broke your heart and you're here to drown your sorrows. Or a girl if you bat for the other team." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Well, _Noah_ ," Rachel responded, refusing to call him Puck. Wasn't that a ball or something in sports? "I'll have you know I'm merely here to support my friend as he looks for someone."

Puck snorted. "Oh so you have a boyfriend?" He smirked as if he already knew the answer.

She turned red and refused to look him the eye. "Well no, but-"

"So you're here with your friend hoping someone will come up to you because you're afraid to take charge yourself." Puck rushed over to serve someone else a drink and left Rachel to ponder what he said.

She was furious that he was right. She may have told Finn she's given up on men, but a part of her was hoping an opportunity would just fall in her lap. She didn't want to work for a guy anymore.

"Well?" He came back a moment later, stuffing a wad of ones in his pocket.

"You're right. I am afraid of taking a leap but I don't care anymore. I'm tired of trying so hard to find someone only to be heartbroken each time. It gets tiring after a while." Rachel whined. "More please." She held up her empty glass.

"I don't really want to have to carry your ass outta here..." He paused mid-grab.

"I'm paying you aren't I? Give me a damn drink." She snapped, the buzz having long settled in as she slowly spiralled into a drunken stupor.

She had no idea where Sebastian went, he was probably still on the dancefloor with some guy or in the bathroom. Either way, she was on her way to becoming totally and completely hammered.

Puck came back after serving another man across the bar a drink. "So you've what? Given up on men completely? Picked up a life of man hating?" Puck smirked, that smirk that she was pretty sure was permanent in his smug face.

"No, I don't hate alllll men." She slurred. "I am friends with quite a few guys, I'll have you know. And no, not just gay men. My roommate, Finn, is actually a very straight, very manly man." Rachel swirled her chair from side-to-side. "Can I have a straw?"

Puck nodded and bent down to pull out a straw, popping it in her drink. "Oh yeah? He one of those blow-up dolls from the store or did you order him online?"

Rachel glared at him through hazy eyes, stopping her swirling. "He is most certainly not a blow up doll. He's been my friend since elementary school and we've like, followed each other across every earth." Her eyes sparkled as she waved her hands sporadically.

Puck laughed, clearly amused with her given he was still here listening to her sob stories and drunken ramblings. "Alright I trust you. So why haven't you boned yet? You sure he's not gay? Any guy that lives with a chick that has a hot little body like yours had got to be playing for the other team." Puck shook his head.

Rachel glanced up at him and smiled. "You really think I'm hot?"

"When you're not being all mopey and crabby looking, yeah you're hot. But for the record, you're not really my type. I'm more into the blonde, big-breasted chicks. Not the smart brunettes like you." He winked.

Rachel giggled. "It's fine. You're not my type either. I don't go for the cocky crude guys like you. Maybe it turns your bimbos on, but not me. I like the sweet, quiet, romantic men." Rachel sipped on what had to be her seventh martini of the night.

Puck shook his head with a chuckle as he gave her a glass of water. "Drink this or you're really going to start feeling like shit pretty soon." He warned.

"Noooo." She whined, squeezing her eyes shut. "I want more martini." She insisted stubbornly. "Why haven't any guys come up to me? Am I that unbearable?" She complained.

"When you're whiny like this, yeah. What guy is going to come up to you when you're drunk off your ass and complaining. No dude likes a whiny drunk." Puck explained, making her pout.

"Oh well. I've decided I don't care about getting a boyfriend anymore. All I want is to have babies." Rachel declared, nearly falling off her stool only to grabbed by Puck as he lurched over the counter at the last minute.

"Might be kinda hard without a dude. You do know how sex works right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

She giggled and straightened herself like nothing happened. "No, no, no silly. I don't want to have sex. I just want to buy me some sperm. All the hassle of trying to get a man, gone. All that's left will be to have a baby and raise it. Seems much more efficient to me."

Puck looked surprised. "Wow. Guess you've thought that through huh? You ever think about how hard it would be to raise a kid by yourself? How hard it will not to have someone to lean for support of things become too much for you?" He asked seriously.

Rachel groaned, not wanting to hear any of this, her drunken mind focused on one thing; getting even more drunk and drowning out these sad feelings of loneliness.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm going to go dance. Thanks for the drinks and for the talk, Randy." She mumbled as she slid off her stool, not even noticing that she left her purse behind on the counter.

"It's Puck!" He called after her, shaking his head as he watched her walk into the large crowd of people and started dancing like a nutjob.

Feeling a bit like her freakin father, he grabbed her purse, rustling through it before pulling out her pink bedazzled cell phone. She had a couple of waiting texts from someone named Sebastian that was telling her he was leaving with some guy.

Well that wouldn't helped her! She probably wouldn't have been here so long getting drunk if she had just read her phone.

He flipped the phone over in his hand and saw a little hello kitty sticker in the corner. He snorted at its predictability, sliding it open and thanking the heavens she didn't have a passcode on it. He glanced up again to make sure she was still in sight, stifling a laugh as he watched her shimmy and dance like a buffoon as the sober people around her laughed and pointed discreetly.

Focusing back on the phone he scrolled through her contacts until one name sprung out at him. _Finn_. She mentioned that she lived with a Finn so this guy would probably be the best bet for getting that poor girl home before she embarrassed herself further.

Puck quickly clicked on Finn's name and waited for him to answer, carefully keeping an eye on her. Finally on the third ring, he picked up.

" _Hello? Rach? Are you okay? Sebastian said he sent you a text but you never answered._ " The man on the other line said in greeting.

Puck cleared his throat. "This isn't Rachel. I'm Puck. I own Paragon bar on seventh. I just thought I'd let you know that your friend Rachel is here drunk off her ass. She mentioned you when we were talking so I figured I'd give you a call, so you could come pick her up before she does something to hurt herself."

He heard Finn sigh on the other end. " _Oh man. Is she okay? What's she doing right now_?" Finn asked.

"She's okay right now. But I don't know how long that'll last. She's currently running through the crowd in heels singing some horrible pop tune and- oh shit she just biffed it big time. Yikes." Puck winced as Rachel picked herself up off the floor, straightening her whacky hair.

" _I'm coming now. Can you just make sure she's safe? I'll be there as fast as I can_." Finn said immediately.

"Sure dude. But hurry up." Puck answered, accepting Finn's thank you before hanging up and stuffing her phone back in the bag.

Puck sighed and called one of his employees working the crowd to tend to the bar. "I'll be right back." He mumbled, heading straight for Rachel who was now jumping up and down wildly as she danced to the techno tune playing in the background.

"Steven!" Rachel cried when she spotted him, giggling as he rolled his eyes and tried to pull her with him to no avail. She just didn't want to move and no manner of pulling or pleading would make her come with him.

After many unsuccessful attempts, he was finally interrupted by Rachel's squealing. "Finny!" And with that, she took off at a run to who Puck could only assume was Finn.

"Uh, h-hey Rach. Whatcha doing?" Finn asked, frowning as she came closer and a waft of alcohol hit his nose. Yeah, she was hammered all right.

She giggled and attached herself to his waist as Puck walked up to Finn, handing him the purse with a sympathetic smile. "I'm having fun!" She gasped suddenly, a blinding smile on her face. "Are you here to have fun with me?!"

Finn shook his head, "No Rach, I'm here to take you home. You're really drunk right now."

"But Finn! I-whoa." She swayed on her feet. "Wow I do not feel good." She half laughed.

Then before anyone knew it, Rachel bent over and heaved all over the floor, amidst the cries and exclamations of disgust around her.

Finn's eyes widened as he bent down to her level. "Cmon Rachel. We have to get you out of here." Finn rubbed her back as she groaned and held her arms up for him to hold her.

Finn picked her up and carried her bridal style. "I'm sorry about this." Finn spoke to Puck as he gestured to the vomit on the floor in front of them.

"It happens more than you think." Puck shrugged. "Just get her home before she barfs on my dancefloor again."

Finn chuckled as Rachel moaned in pain in his arms. "Well thanks for taking care of her. I appreciate it." Finn started walking away, nodding his head at Puck.

"She's a nice girl, I think she's just having a rough time deciding what she wants. I quite like her actually." Puck winked, as he headed back to the bar. "See ya around."

He disappeared back into the crowd and Finn smiled, grateful that someone was looking out for her tonight. He idly wondered why she didn't check her phone since Sebastian had apparently texted her several times.

"Finn, I feel really really horrible." Rachel whispered as he made his way outside into the cool air, heading towards his truck.

"You're lucky I was out grocery shopping otherwise I wouldn't have been here so soon. What were you thinking Rachel? You aren't the kind of person who just drinks their problems away." Finn sighed, placing her carefully in the passenger seat and buckling her seat.

"I don't know." Rachel closed her eyes to try and dull the pounding headache.

Finn shook his head, "We'll talk in the morning when you feel better, okay?"

She just nodded, laying her head against the seat as he got in the car and drove off into the night. It was silent for a few minutes, before Rachel spoke up so quietly Finn barely heard her.

"I just needed to get out of my own head. That's why I did it. I was once again surrounded by couples and men and I just got so sad I needed to stop thinking about things. And then that Noah guy talked about how hard it would be to raise a kid by myself so I started doubting getting a sperm donor. I didn't know what else to do. I still don't know what to do. I'm stuck." Rachel explained sadly.

Finn pulled the truck over onto the side of the road and turned to her. "Rachel..." He sighed sympathetically. "Is all this about turning 30? Do you really think you're running out of time? I thought this was just some left over sadness from seeing all your friends get married."

"No, Finn. I've been struggling with this for a while now. One phase of my life is over and I'm moving into another. Can you blame me for just wanting that? I've worked so freakish hard and I don't want to work even harder now." Rachel closed her eyes again as Finn tucked her hair back.

"I-I dont know what to say Rachel." Finn hung his head glumly. For once in is life he had no idea how to fix this. He wanted so bad to help his best friend but he didn't know what to do, he was helpless. This had to be the worst feeling in the world.

"Just take me home. There's nothing you can do. This is my problem." Rachel pushed on his shoulder with all the strength she had.

Finn nodded as she looked like she was about to fall asleep, her night of fun catching up with her. There was silence in the car for another couple minutes before Rachel spoke again.

"Finn?" She asks groggily, making Finn wonder how alert she really was.

He sighed before answering. "Yes Rach?"

"You still love me, right?" She asked, making his heart ache. Did she think he was mad at her or something?

"Or course I still love you, dork. Just because you went and got yourself drunk doesn't mean I hate you suddenly." Finn reached over and poked her nose.

She giggled but then moaned again, her hand shooting to her temple. "Okay good. Because you're the only person I feel like could ever love me in any way. Thank you."

Finn's hand traveled down to hold her hand, squeezing it softly. "I am not the only person that'll ever love you. I told you before, you'll find someone."

She was eerily silent for a minute and he wondered if she fell asleep completely.

"Will you have a baby with me, Finn?" She whispered.

Finn nearly slammed on the brakes when her sentence registered with him. What. The. Fuck. He was stunned into silence as he jerked the wheel into their parking garage, needing to stop the car before he got them into a wreck.

He didn't want Rachel to mistake his silence for something bad so he turned to her only to find her fast asleep. And his shoulders slumped as his heart beat a mile a minute.

He didn't know whether she was serious or not, he had no idea what to think of this. Did she really want to have a baby with him? Or was it just her drunken mind conjuring up something. Either way, Finn needed an answer and needed it now before he hyperventilated.

He carried her up to the apartment numbly, his mind working as fast as his heart as he tried to figure out what to do next.

* * *

 **Whoooooooo drunk Rachel did some crazy stuff didn't she? Do you think she'll remember asking Finn to have a baby with he, in the morning? And will this change the nature of their relationship? Find out in the next chapter!**

 **10 reviews will unlock the next chapter!**

 **(P.S, I only proofread this chapter once, so if you see any major errors, please tell me)**


	3. Even When The Night Changes

**Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long to come out. I'm going to use school as an excuse again because it really did hinder me from writing lol. I hope to get the next chapter up a little faster!**

 **Thanks for reading and putting up with my scattered updates.**

 **Oh, and don't forget to spread some love this Wednesday, as it's the 11th and our quarterbacks birthday. :) So whether it's through Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, don't forget to tweet about Cory and send your love to him up there!**

* * *

Rachel woke up the next morning with a groan, her head buried deep in her pillows as the sun shone through her curtains and helped make her pounding headache even worse. It was just so damn bright in here. Part of the reason she liked Seattle so much was that it was frequently cloudy and way less sunny than other places.

And with a crappy hangover, all she wanted was some cloudy weather to shield her from the burning death rays of the sun.

Rolling over with another groan as slowly as possible to avoid making herself throw up, she squinted and eyed the clock. It was a little past nine o'clock. She just thanked the heavens she didn't have her lessons until later in the afternoon. She'd have some time to gather herself and sober up even more.

Very reluctantly, she pulled her annoyingly achy body out of bed and walked like a zombie to her little bathroom, forgoing the light because of her raging headache.

When she looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes widened and she groaned. Her hair was clumped up in several places and she had very distinct pillow marks on her face. Not to mention her face was slightly white and she still had the worst headache. She had to actually grip the sink to keep from passing out on the floor.

Grabbing her mouthwash bottle, she gurgled her wintermint wash for a moment to freshen her breath a little. She was sure it was horrendous right now. She highly doubted Finn would have been able to brush her teeth last night.

She moved slowly as to not disturb her head more, and peaked her head out the door, squinting to see the time on her bedside clock again. Thinking as much as her brain would allow, she mentally ran through her schedule. She didn't have lessons until two o'clock today, starting with Jake first, Marley at three forty-five, and Ryder at five.

So she could probably sleep more until about eleven thirty. Eh whatever. It was better than showing up to her lessons hungover where she'd be instructing high school students.

Her groans must have been louder than she thought, because moments later there was a quiet knock on her door.

Embarassed at her behaviour last night, she pressed her face back into her pillow and answered in a muffled voice, "Come in." Just speaking made her head pound. This was horrible.

"Hey Rach." Finn whispered quietly, his voice low and deep. He must have known from experience that she had the worst headaches when she was hungover. She didn't get drunk often, but when she did, she had really bad ones. Probably because she was so tiny but could drink like a freakin sailor.

She just mumbled and groaned inaudibly, her face still buried in her pillow. She didn't see him, but she could feel his presence behind her as he put something on her side table and hear him move to her window to pull the blinds down as well, putting the room in a hazy sort of darkness.

He sat on the edge of her bed and rested a hand on her back, rubbing softly. "I figured you'd feel pretty crappy this morning, so I made you some breakfast. To the best of my abilities anyways." He chuckled a little.

Rachel sighed and turned her body over, reaching for Finn's arm and squeezing it. "Thank you, Finn. Do you happen to have any Advil over there?" She smiled, her eyes squinting in the light that seemed even more blinding than normal in the morning.

Finn grinned wider, reaching for the tiny pills and glass of water on the tray and passing them to her. "I do actually. You're lucky you have such an awesome best friend/roommate, otherwise you'd be fucked this morning. Sitting here all mopey with your head in your hands." Finn smirked at her watching as she quickly downed the pills.

"Well thank you, Finn. I can't even imagine what kind of crazy things I did last night. Hope I didn't embarrass you too much. I do remember you picking me up from the bar. And that bartender with the ridiculous Mohawk." Rachel giggled softly, stopping immediately after as it made her head thump painfully. "So what's on the menu this morning?" Rachel sat back against the headboard.

Finn chuckled softly again. "Well you know I'm not the greatest cook in the world, but I made you some blueberry oatmeal and got a couple poppyseed muffins. I hear bread-type stuff is pretty good when you've had lots of alcohol. And I also brewed a fresh pot of coffee and squeezed some fresh OJ for you." He carefully passed the tray over so it was balancing on her thighs.

She just smiled up at him gratefully. How in the world did she get so lucky? To have such a sweet and caring roommate/best friend like Finn. Hell, he'd even sliced her muffin into fourths, knowing that was how she liked eating her muffins. And the coffee had none of that vanilla or chocolate flavoured creamer he liked, but some milk and a couple spoons of sugar.

Even after this long, it still surprised her how well he knew her. Most friends, whether best friends or not, don't notice those sort of specific quirks. She was one lucky girl, that was for damn sure.

He sat with his arms crossed as she dove into her breakfast, eternally grateful for the steamy coffee and fresh, fluffy muffins.

As she chowed down, she felt his eyes bore into her and she wondered what was wrong. It wasn't uncommon for them to sit in silence and eat, but he didn't have anything for himself. He was just watching her eat.

So she swallowed a mouthful of oatmeal and glanced up at him. "Are you, uh, okay? You seem quiet this morning. A little too quiet, honestly."

She watched his Adam's apple bob in his throat and his eyes flickered away from her, almost nervously. And that's when she knew something was definitely wrong. He was never this closed off and nervous around her. His eyes were always her window into what he was thinking and this time was no exception.

They held a softness everytime he glanced over at her, but also a kind of nervousness she'd never seen him have around her. Except for a few times in high school where he'd caught her in very compromising positions.

Mentally going through the night before, she tried to remember if she'd done anything excrustiatingly embarrassing or offensive. Something that would make a Finn feel weird about. But she couldn't come up with anything. All she could remember was him picking her and driving her home.

He finally spoke, his voice scratchy and unsure. But he smiled a little for her benefit to show he wasn't really mad or upset with her, something that definitely reassured her. But there was still something else in his eyes she couldn't quite place.

"Do you remember everything that happened last night?" He asked with a whisper, wringing his hands together as he looked up at her, finally making clear eye contact.

"Sort of." She shrugged. It definitely felt like she was missing something. "I remember sitting at the bar and watching Sebastian, I remember drinking a lot, talking to the bartender. Then I remember throwing up on the dancefloor, you taking me home. And then I remember..."

Rachel trailed off, a sickening feeling washing over her as her mind continued to unravel her night. _Oh my god_.

Now she understood why Finn felt so weirded out right now. She asked him to help her have a baby! Fuck. They'd done and said some odd stuff around each other, but they've never insinuated anything romantic or sexual between the other.

Sure they fully appreciated when the other looked attractive, but it was always just clear that their relationship was strictly platonic, and no deeper feelings existed. They were crossing into dangerous waters, somewhere they'd gone so long without entering.

And she had gone and screwed it all up by asking an odd and serious question.

Finn seemed to understand that she was remembering what she asked him, because he licked his lips and laid a hand on her arm.

"I don't know how serious you were when you asked me that, Rachel. All I know is that you're a truthful drunk. You never say anything you don't mean, even when you're wasted. Guess that's why they call alcohol a truth serum, huh?" He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

She just stared at the opposite wall, feeling completely stupid and humiliated that she actually asked her best friend something like that. Was her subconscious really thinking that she wanted Finn to be the father of her baby?

Finn cocked his head to the side to break her out of her staring trance, making her look right at him. "You're my best friend Rachel, that much has always been obvious. But if you're having feelings like this, whether they're out of actual feelings or just the need to have someone you care about have a baby with you, we have to talk about it. Because I don't want our friendship to get weird or uncomfortable. I can't lose you." He sighed.

Her heart constricted at his words. God she couldn't live without him, the thought made another wave of nausea hit her like a Mack truck. She definitely couldn't lose him either.

So she gulped down her nerves and embarrassment, nodding in agreement. "I know you want answers but right now I really just need to sober up. I don't want to try and talk to you about this while I feel sick and grumpy. So... How about lunch? Before I go to my lessons tonight?" She questioned.

He smiled, nodding in understanding. "Yeah okay. I get that. I'll take you somewhere nice, okay? My treat." He stood up and made his way to her door before he turned around, his hand on the doorframe. "Hey, I love you, you know."

She smiled, despite this awakened situation she'd gotten herself into, she was grateful that it was Finn. Someone she was pretty sure would love her no matter what happened between them.

She just hoped she could explain how she was feeling without sounding like some babbling psychopath. Because it's not like she had any real romantic feelings for him right? It was just about the fact that he was so caring of her and was her best friend.

If you were to take out those two factors, she probably would never have asked him that. Reality of the situation was; Finn was way too much of a kid himself to even think about having a baby with someone. He was still stuck in the one-woman-a-week phase and there was no way she could raise a baby in that environment.

That didn't stop her from wishing she had someone who was like Finn, but actually ready to have children.

God, why couldn't her drunken self just shut the hell up? Now she's gotten herself into a messy situation where she had to explain to her best friend that no, she didn't want a baby with him, just with the idea of someone like him.

Yeah. That sounded even more dumb when she tried to put into words.

Wishing she could just sink into her pillows, she buried her face in her hands and let loose a deep, long sigh. Maybe she could just play this off as a joke. No doubt Finn probably felt that way. If she were him, she probably wouldn't have taken it seriously either (even though deep down, she knew she meant it).

So she'd just continue on with her internal struggle of wanting a family but being unable to find a man to give her that family. After all, she'd been dealing (sort of) with it lately and everything had been fine.

She took another swig of water and swung her legs out of bed and onto the cold wood floor of her bedroom, making her way to the bathroom to set up for her shower.

* * *

Watching Finn from across the table closely, she didn't really notice any chance of his face or eyes, a telltale sign he was uncomfortable or nervous. The only indication that something was off was the way he kept playing with his hands and sipping his glass of water every ten seconds. It was a weird change from how clouded his eyes were that morning.

She smiled forcibly at him when he caught her eye. "You okay?" She asked stupidly, spearing a piece of lettuce onto her fork and dipping it her Italian dressing.

 _Of course he isn't okay, moron. You're his best friend and last night you drunkenly asked him if he would have a baby with you! Awkward much?_

He just chuckled in his adorable way. "Yeah I'm okay. Just a little confused about last night ya know?"

She looked down guiltily. "I can't tell you how sorry I am about that, Finn. I didn't mean it, honest. I guess I'm just feeling lonely, what with Kurt and Blaine getting married. Feels like I'm the only single person left in Seattle. Even Sebastian met someone last night, right? That's why he left early?"

He nodded in confirmation so she continued her explanation. "And I suppose I just asked you because you were there and you're my best friend so my stupid brain just connected those two things and conjured up this idea that you would be the perfect father and partner for me in this situation. It was stupid and I was drunk. And I'm so sorry, I probably just ruined our friendship by making this all so awkward."

She was working herself up in a fit and she could feel her breathing speeding up like she was about to get hysterical. She could feel Finn's eyes on her, probably noticing that she was on the verge of an emotional meltdown.

So she did not expect to see Finn start smiling widely, his cheeks lifting up and his smile stretched across his entire face. She just stared at him in disbelief. She asked him to have a baby with her and now she's getting all over emotional and he's just _smiling_?

"Rach, no offence, but shut up." Her mouth dropped open a little in shock while he continued smiling. "First of all, you didn't ruin anything. I completely understand how messed up you are over this, I know what having a family means to you, and I know how much you wish you could find someone right now."

She let out a breath as he went over and sat on her side of the booth, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side. She felt the string of nerves in her stomach snap and dissipate as she snuggled into his side.

"I think we've all said some stupid shit while drunk, I think you just want someone who's going to give you what you need. And that's okay, Rach. I'm not going to hold it against you and feel awkward around you now. You're still my best friend, no matter what."

Rachel sighed against him and hugged his middle, her face buried between his torso and arm. "Thank you for being so cool about this, Finn. Most guys would bolt at the mere thought of someone asking them to have kids with them."

Finn laughed. "Well not this guy. I'm with you till the end of the line." He grinned.

She finally smiled and giggled. "Did you just quote your Captain America movie?" She looked up at him.

He smirked proudly. "I totally did, it's from the second Cap movie. But what I'm even more proud about is the fact that you know it's from that movie. I'm rubbing off on you huh?"

Rachel rolled her eyes but nodded. "Yes, I do quite like that movie. Mostly because Sebastian Stan and Chris Evans are extremely attractive." She poked his chest to move him away.

He retracted his arm and pulls his plate to him, swiping a couple fries through the ketchup and stuffing them in his mouth. "Typical chick answer. Never remind the fact that the action is totally kickass. And don't forget how hot and badass Scarlett Johansson is."

"Oh silly me." She smiled as he stayed next to her and continued eating his lunch, going back to eating her salad. "You're really okay, though? Being around me doesn't feel weird?"

"Oh please, we've had way more awkward things happen. Remember the time my mom let you into the house and then when you walked into my room, you saw me stark naked after my shower? Or at Santana Lopez's house party junior year when I found you drunk with her shirt stuck over your head and your boobs on full display. Or when I caught you on your bed mast-" He started, only to stop when she slapped his chest hard.

Her face was blushed in embarrassment at remembering those moments in their past. Awkward moments that took them a while to get over. But he was right, they had gotten over it after a while. Just like they'd get over this.

"Yeah let's not talk about that. I prefer to forget that even happened." She glared at him as he cackled next to her. "Especially since we're in public."

He shrugged and smiled at her. "So ya see? We can get over this easy. We didn't even see eachothers fun parts this time. Stop being so dramatic." He took the last bite of his cheddar burger and licked the mustard off his fingers.

"Alright, alright, I give. You know I'm the dramatic one. I had to draw out this situation like I always do." She smiled and pushed her mostly eaten salad away. "Now cmon. You forgot my almond milk at the store yesterday so we need to go to the market."

"Yes mom." He teased, dropping a few dollars down on the table between their plates for a tip and slipping out of the booth, holding out a hand for her to grab.

She took it with a small smile and followed him out the door. At least she knew that no matter how stupid and weird she was around him, he'd always stick by her side. God, she loved this dork.

Fighting off any deeper feelings her heart tried to come up with, she walked alongside Finn hoping this situation was over. Because it wasn't worth losing him over. Even if she was one hundred percent positive he'd be the best dad ever.

* * *

Finn yawned as he sat at his computer at work, reaching for his beloved cup of coffee. It was going to be a late night of staring at this computer screen since he'd been lazy all day and hadn't done any work. He was pretty sure his supervisor wasn't going to be so happy when she came in here and saw that he'd been playing Elder Scrolls since three o'clock that afternoon.

He was supposed to be working on the development of some file encryption program, but his mind had been elsewhere all day. Well, more specifically, on some _one_ all day. Since he hadn't been able to stop thinking Rachel since lunch.

He wasn't sure why he couldn't stop thinking about it. He knew he wasn't ready to have kids or be in a stable relationship. And she was totally drunk and made a suggestion that even she herself said was stupid.

So then why couldn't he stop thinking about having a kid? Holding a baby for this first time, looking into Rachel's eyes as she held it for the first time...

 _Ugh no. Snap out of it, Finn! What the hell is the matter with you? This is Rachel Berry we're talking about. As in, your best friend since god knows when. Stop this._

And unfortunately, that had been his internal struggle since he and Rachel left the restaurant after lunch. He knew it was stupid, ridiculous even to think about taking her drunken suggestion seriously. But a part of him couldn't help but imagine would that would be like.

To actually settle down with someone and have a quiet, normal life with kids and everything. And they already loved eachother right? It would be so easy. And then he wouldn't have to worry about finding a woman to settle down with, get to know, marry, all that shit that he really didn't want to do.

Yeah, it may have started off with Rachel being drunk, sad, and lonely, but the more and more he thought about it, the more he realized maybe he wanted something like that.

But she definitely wouldn't go for it now. Now that he'd shown his indifference and dismissal of the idea. Now that he'd told her it was no big deal and he understood why she felt the need to ask something like that.

God, couldn't he just express his true feelings for once? He never was the one to let someone else know how he was feeling.

He groaned and sipped his now cold coffee, buckling down and getting ready to do some work. Maybe if fudged it enough, he'd be able to go home without a problem.

He needed advice though, he couldn't just go home and see Rachel while he was feeling all this crap. He couldn't go to Kurt, because he was currently on his honeymoon with Blaine. Besides, he'd probably end up telling Rachel anyways.

He certainly couldn't tell his mom because one whiff of Finn wanting to commit and she's either start planning a wedding, or start buying baby onesies. And Burt was about as emotional as he himself was, so he wouldn't be much help.

His last resort was Sam and Quinn. They were a strong couple that never seemed to have any problems, right? And their healthy son Michael was living proof that they knew what they were doing.

It was settled. Before he went home, he'd pay Sam and Quinn a visit, they only lived about half an hour from their place and he could just tell Rachel he was working late so she wouldn't worry about him being out late.

Hopefully they could help him make sense of this blooming feelings inside him, because he sure as hell couldn't figure them out.

So at half past nine, he got clearance from his supervisor that he could indeed leave for the night. He ran down to his car, swinging his way onto the highway so he could beat the late night Seattle traffic and get down to the neighbourhood Sam and Quinn lived in.

Most of the neighborhood was quiet, the only light really being the street lamps and the glow of some windows. He knew it wasn't that late, only about ten o'clock, but this was also a neighborhood with lots of kids, curtesy of the elementary school that was just outside the neighborhood.

He grinned when he saw the glow of the living room light at Sam and Quinn's place, hopping out of the car and gently knocking on the door. Sam's very confused face met his as he pulled the door open.

"Finn! What are you doing here so late on a Monday night? Are you drunk?" He laughed, lowering his voice when Quinn shushed him from somewhere in the house.

Finn chuckled, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. "Nah, I'm not drunk. Just in a bit of a pickle and I could really use you and Quinn's advice on something. If that's okay?"

Sam opened the door wider and gestered him inside, "Yeah it's cool, dude. Quinn and I were just cleaning up the house a bit before getting ready for bed. You know how OCD she gets about cleaning her kitchen appliances."

Finn nodded and smiled as he slipped his shoes off by the door, peeking across the doorway into the kitchen where Quinn was scrubbing her pristine counters with a sponge.

He had to be honest, if he spent even half as much money on a kitchen like Sam and Quinn did, he'd be anal about how clean it was too. Most of it was stainless steel and they had a messy five year old boy that he knew for a fact loved playing outside.

"Hey Quinn." Finn waved, smiling at her as blew a strand of her blonde hair out of eyes. It was already tucked back with a hair-tie but he could tell her tedious work was making it unruly.

She waved back and looked as confused as Sam had a moment ago. "Finn? What are doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. I just really needed to talk to guys. Mikey asleep?" He asked.

Sam nodded. "Finally got him down about twenty minutes ago. He was not thrilled to be going to sleep tonight. Guess I shouldn't have let him watch Batman so late at night. It always gets him hyped up and ready to play." Sam rolled his eyes with chuckle.

"Thank you for that, by the way." Quinn followed them to the living room and sat on the plush tan couches. "He wouldn't take of that Batman mask. I finally just had to pry it off his face when he fell asleep."

Sam just shrugged. "Sorry babe. But now that he can read a lot more, he's recognizing what's on the guide when I flip through channels. He saw it and I figured it was better to watch it then listen to him have a meltdown."

Finn couldn't help but smile at the bickering couple. It always amazed him that such polar opposites could become the best and strongest couple he knew. Quinn was strict and very particular about how she liked things, while Sam was very laid back.

It was kinda how he thought he and Rachel were; like polar opposites. That was probably why kids in high school saw their friendship in such a weird light. He was a sports maniac that just skirted by in school while she was the straight-A drama nerd. And yet they were inseparable, kind of like Sam and Quinn.

"But anyways, back to Finn." Sam chuckled, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. "What did you want to talk about? It must be pretty serious if you can't wait until tomorrow. Or until Kurt gets back."

Finn nodded and shuffled nervously. "Well yeah, it's kind of urgent. Only because, well, it has to do with Rachel and we sort of live together."

"I knew!" Quinn whispered-shouted. "You're in love with her, aren't you? God, I knew it. Kurt totally owes me two-hundred bucks." She seemed very happy with herself while Finn just stared at her.

Did she really think he was _in_ love with her? Sure he loved her like a best friend, but did he love her romantically? He didn't really know what to say. "U-um what? That's not what I was going to say." He cleared his throat.

Quinn blushed. "Oh, right. Okay. Continue then." She looked down while Sam looked like he was trying not to burst out laughing.

So Finn continued on like Quinn's outburst hadn't happened, he couldn't even deal with what he was feeling now, he didn't even want to try tackling what the ramifications might be if he really did love her in that way.

"Well, Rachel got drunk yesterday. She said she's been feeling really down about being single still and being sort of stuck in a rut. Apparently she wants to have kids now. Anyways, I picked her up from the bar and she said some things." Finn wrung his hands together, thinking about how softly and breathlessly she'd asked the question. How sincere it really did sound despite how drunk she was.

"What'd she say?" Sam asked, looking genuinely curious.

Finn took a long breath. "She said she wants to have a baby with me."

Quinn gasped and Sam's eyes bugged out of his head. "Seriously? Like, she knows what having a baby entails right? Having sex." Sam looked like he was in disbelief.

"That's what she asked me." Finn said seriously, finding his hands very interesting. Suddenly the thought of having sex with Rachel made a blush rise up in his cheeks and his heart constrict in a very unfamiliar way.

Quinn shook her head. "Are you sure it wasn't just because she was drunk and feeling bad about herself? Sometimes people say the most ridiculous things because the alcohol in their system says otherwise."

"That's what I thought. But isn't alcohol kind of like a truth serum? Like, why would she say something like that if she hadn't already been thinking it in the first place?" Finn rubbed the back of his neck.

"The question is, do _you_ want her to really mean it? If she were serious about having a baby with you, would you say yes?" Sam asked, placing a comforting hand on an obviously confused Finns' shoulder.

Finn sighed, hating himself for thinking about his best friend like this, but unable to stop himself. "Y-yeah. I think I might actually say yes. It would like, the ideal situation ya know? We could start a family without bein attached to eachother in the same way married couples are. I could still date as I please, with maybe a bit less promiscuity, Rachel could find someone for her but also get the child she wants so bad. Is it really that bad of an idea?" Finn explained what he'd been going through back forth all night.

Quinn looked at him incredulously. "You'd really want that? Babies should be made between two people who truly love each other. Not out of convenience, Finn."

Finn shrugged. "We do love eachother, like a lot. Just not in the same way you and Sam do. And Rachel's right, we aren't getting any younger. Even I have to admit starting a family takes a long time to cultivate. Maybe this would be the easier route."

"Finn, you can't just decide to have a baby with your friend because it makes things easier for you in the long run. If you want a baby so bad, you should stop with all your playboy-like moves where you just hump and dump. If you want kids, do it right. And the same goes for Rachel." Quinn shook her head disapprovingly.

Finn was beginning to feel a little deflated. Quinn was making it sound like it was wrong to have a baby with a friend. It wasn't just for convenience, it was also for less drama and heartbreak.

It was silent for a moment until Sam finally spoke up. "Quinn, I think Finn may have a point."

Quinn narrowed her eyes at her husband. "Excuse me? What are you saying exactly?"

"Just hear me out." Sam put his hand up. "Maybe this could work for Finn and Rachel. They aren't like us babe, they're best friends, friends who probably know eachother better than most couples do. They're comfortable with eachother, so if they both want a baby, why can't they make one? It's much better than those people that get pregnant from a drunken escapade and then get married because of the kid, then divorce."

"Yeah! This way this is no divorce or threats of one is taking the kid from the other. This kid will just be loved by us and then whoever we find to be our partners in the future. No messiness." Finn added, smiling at the fact that Sam seemed to really understand what he was thinking.

It was about time someone got it, and not only that, but Sam was perfectly executing his thoughts into words. Everything Finn had been thinking since last night was playing out now in Sam's words.

Quinn sighed. "Look Finn, I'm not going to tell you what to do. All I know is things are better when you are with that person in an actual relationship. I'm sure this arrangement will be fine for your baby if you decide to do it. But what if one of you starts developing deeper feelings for the other? That's when things could get ugly. I'm just worried that this could take an bad turn and ruin your friendship. Because above all, I know what that means to you both."

Finn deflated, nodding along with her words. Unfortunately, Quinn was now voicing the other side of the argument, the side that had been keeping him from making a clear decision all day; the Devils advocate.

"I think what we're trying to say is, you have to really weigh out your opinions, Finn. You have to decide whether having this baby would be worth potentially wrecking your friendship with Rachel. If you think you guys can do it, then I say go ahead. But if you're having doubts, I seriously think you should talk to Rachel." Sam explained, patting his shoulder again.

Finn nodded, feeling more conflicted than ever. "Thanks guys. I should probably get going though. I don't want to keep you up any longer, I'm sure you have work." Finn stood up.

"You don't need to go yet, at least have a cup of tea or something." Quinn said as she and Sam got up too.

"Nah, thanks though. I have a lot to think about. See you guys later." Finn smiled slightly and slid his shoes back on, waving to his friends as he walked back to his car. He knew they were watching him from the doorway after his abrupt exit, but he just really needed to get out of there and clear his head.

This was all so messed up. Just yesterday he was fine, no thoughts of having kids or settling down. And now? Now he was actually entertaining the idea of having a baby with his best friend after she drunkenly suggested it. Maybe he _was_ drunk. This was just all too much for him to handle.

He squeezed the steering wheel of his truck when he got it. Damn Rachel for making him feel all this crap. This was worse than the time she'd had her heart broken by Jesse St. Jackass and he had to spend weeks consoling her. So much so that it put a damper on his life and mood because he had to take care of her.

Anytime she reached an emotional upheaval, she pulled him right with her. It was both maddening and mildly irritating.

When he checked his phone he saw that he had three messages from Rachel herself, asking him where he was. He sighed and texted her that he was on his way home, not entirely untrue.

He was going to have to reign in his emotions fast, because there was no doubt in his mind Rachel was going to be able to tell something was wrong with him. And he was not ready to talk about it yet. Not until he fully understood what he wanted himself. No, until then, he'd just play it cool, act like there wasn't a million thoughts about her plaguing his mind.

For now, he'd just act like nothing had changed at all, even though he knew things were definitely about to change. No matter what he decided to do.

* * *

 **Whooo! Here we have the aftermath of drunk Rachel's suggestion. Seems that's it's gotten Finn's mind totally flustered too. Could they both be wanting the same thing now? Guess we'll have to see what Rachel thinks about all this in the next chapter!**

 **Sorry about the lack of Finchel goodness btw, we needed a chapter where Finn starts to realize maybe he wants the same thing she does.**

 **Oh, and I hope nobody hates Fabrevans lol. I really liked them in the show and I was sad to see them thrown away like trash haha. Let me know what you think about this chapter or what characters you want more of! Until next time :)**


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